Hope against hope
by thatsmystreet
Summary: Hers was a life of forced choices and shattered dreams, yet she embraced it all without a word of complaint. Never asking for anything or holding out hope for a fairy tale… That was until he crossed her path. Late modern history. AH, highly OOC & Dark.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter-1

People and occasional motorcars kept rushing to and fro on the road. So did her gaze, following them.

It was part of her daily routine. To simply sit by the side of the window and observe the outside world.

The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest, they say. May be it was the same axiom which was applicable in her case or maybe she just liked to behold the even and odd varieties of the outside world.

Seventeen years of her life had passed, confined within that house. Her grandmother was the only family she had.

Daily early in the morning, her grandmother would leave the house to go and work in the bakery till evening. At such an advanced age, that was the only job that the old woman had skills for and could manage to do. Besides that, the main reason was that the owner lady let her grandmother work there despite knowing the truth about them. The wages were not even close to decent but that was all they had to survive upon.

As far as her day was concerned, the routine consisted of doing chores around the house and re-reading some of her favourite books in the free time.

Books were what had kept her from going insane. But then again, they also made her curious about the world she lived in.

The stories made her eyes dream of a life of normalcy like the characters of those tales had, despite the fact that a normal life wasn't something she was allowed to hope for.

That was one of the reasons why she liked to sit by the side of that window of her upstairs room and look at the movements of life outside her lonely house and existence.

The shackles which tied her feet down could not reach up to her heart and eyes.

Sometimes she would spot a child toddling beside his parents.

Sometimes she would spot random people looking in the direction of her house curiously.

Sometimes she would spot a small herd of girls going about talking and laughing amongst themselves without any care in the world.

Sometimes she would spot a couple passing by, holding hands, talking and looking at each other with love-filled eyes. Her lips would stretch into a sad smile as her heart fluttered at her favourite sight.

After having spent years after years at the window, she knew each and every house, shop, road and tree in the sight.

She knew the road that men took when they were headed to go out of the town for work.

She knew the direction of the road which led to school, having seen children return from the same road every day during afternoon, although she never got to walk the road herself for that purpose.

She knew the road that women took for shopping, having seen them return by that route with stuffed cloth bags.

That was how she learnt about the places and lives of people outside. By watching from afar.

Although her grandmother did all the tasks that required going out to shops, but at rare occasions she had to go out to run a few errands. But even then, she could feel people's eyes burning holes into her. Many would actually move further away as if her mere shadow would contaminate them.

So, she did what seemed the best, to keep the unrest at bay.

She stayed within that house for most of the time.

She kept paying the price for a sin she had never committed.


	2. Chapter 2

**BPOV**

I was almost done with setting up the table for dinner, when grandma made it back. I took the pot off the stove.

While I set the spoons, she took off her worn out overcoat.

"I made soup." I placed the bowls on the table.

"Oh, thank you dear, soup will be just perfect since it's so cold outside." She dragged the chair out and sat down.

Unlike me, she was raised in a well-nourished household and learned how to read and write well. It was because of her, that I could speak with well-rounded vowels despite never had been to school.

"You smell like strawberry today." I gave her a small smile.

"That's what I have been baking today since morning." She chuckled.

We both started with our bowls of hot soup. Dinners, or even breakfasts for that matter, were usually quiet. We never had much to talk about, besides the trifle occurrences of the day, if any.

But that day was different.

"I talked with Irina today." She said without looking up.

"Who's she?" I looked up.

"She works with a wealthy household in the exurbs near the city of Salvados. I told her about you." She looked up this time.

My hand, holding the spoon brimming with soup, paused midway. I placed it back in the bowl.

"What about me?"

"Everything."

I simply gazed at her face.

"Bella, honey, I don't want you to wither for the rest of your life in this house. You deserve so much more than this." Her wrinkled mouth dropped down at the ends sombrely.

"So?" I wasn't getting where it was going.

"Irina works with household staff at Smallwood manor, for Lady and Lord Smallwood. I don't know a lot about them but I've read their names in a newspaper once at Melanie's." Melanie's- the confectionery where she worked.

"That city is quite far away from here. Probably, no one would be knowing about you there, so, you can start a new life afresh." Her face was neutral and a little hopeful.

"Did you just decide all of this today?" I didn't see all of this coming.

"I met her a couple of times over past few months and she seemed like a nice lady. She used to tell about the work and living conditions for the workers there and it all sounded nice. I had started thinking about something similar for you since then and today she casually mentioned about vacancy in their kitchen staff. When I prodded further she said that it won't last long as they will soon find a person. It felt like an opportune moment so I went ahead and talked for you. I told her about you and she said she can have you adjusted for the job at the manor. She wouldn't reveal your background and no one else would probably be knowing about it."

She went back to sipping her soup as I simply sat there wondering.

A new city? Working in some manor?

"You don't mind sending me away, like this?"

"Yes, I do." She finished her soup and sat back. "But, what I mind more than that, is the condition that you are living in here." She gestured towards the dingy walls of our house. "Darling, you have your whole life lying ahead of you and don't tell me you foresee yourself spending all of that just sitting around in this house." She clasped her warm hand over my cold one.

I took a deep breath. My mind was swirling.

"What have you got here to stay and look forward to?" She scanned my face.

"Still, grandma, I wouldn't know anyone there personally."

"And how many people do you personally know here, exactly?" she tilted her head. "Don't count on me dear, I am an old lady. I may drop down any day, then what is going to happen to you?"

As much as I didn't want to think about that, she had a point.

For the following seconds. the silence in the room was punctuated by the noise of people and traffic outside.

"So, what it would be like? I work and live there for the rest of my life?" I wondered out loud.

"May not sound very prospective as of now, but it would be something better than here. You may even save up if you can and then move on to somewhere else." She smiled a little.

"What about you? Will I ever get to see you again?" I felt a tugging at my heart.

"You can visit me once in a while if you get time or if I am still moving." She made a joke which I didn't find humorous at all.

"Irina said she can arrange for you to go with her, coming Sunday." She supplied after a while.

"Coming Sunday?" I sat up straighter. "You really are eager to ship me off, aren't you?" I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

But I regretted my fake accusation the next moment, as her eyes watered up.

"I've been looking forward to an arrangement like this since a very long time," she shook her head. "To let you have a chance to move out of this place and start a real life. I've raised you, Bella and I think of myself as your parent. You have no idea how painful it had been for me to see you suffer and writhe in want for a normal life. You think I don't see it in your eyes, the longing for a life of love and care? I want the best for you but if I can't arrange for that, I'll strive for as much closer as I can manage with whatever I have."

My own eyes welled up. I pushed my chair back and strode over to her. We both embraced each other as if there will never be a second chance to do this. There might never be as well.

"I know you are not very much assured and are scared too, but so am I. But honey, it will be a start and you never know, it may turn out to be the right kind of decision?" she looked up, her eyes shining with tears of pain and hope.

I looked away and stared out of the window, to the road in front of our house and took a deep breath.

"So, the coming Sunday, is it?" I clutched her creased and warm hand in mine and placed my head over hers.


End file.
